Current conditions
Observed from: Okeechobee County Airport
Mostly Cloudy, 73 °F
A 10 percent chance of showers after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Get the full forecast
Police/Fire

Hendry County Arrest Report

The following individuals were arrested on felony or driving under the influence (DUI) charges by the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office...

Attempted armed robbery foiled by security guard

An attempted armed robbery at 777 Arcade on Saturday ...

Burn ban in effect

Building or maintaining fires on South Florida Water Management  District lands in seven counties is prohibited until further notice ...
Business Corner
Decorating Den Interiors.

Interior design business moves to LaBelle

Spring has sprung, goes the seasonal saying, and traditionally this is the time of year for reorganizing, spring cleaning, decluttering and redecorating.

SBA and SBDC work together to assist Florida businesses recovering from Ian

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Florida Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC) today announced a new pilot program geared toward helping businesses …
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Community News

As hurricane season ends, FPL highlights value of strengthening power grid

The 2023 hurricane season ends today, Thursday, Nov. 30. Thankfully, most Florida Power...
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E-edition

Read the latest Lake Okeechobee print edition here.

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Agriculture

Scientists see bright future as they seek savory strawberries

Strawberry consumers love the fruit’s sweet flavor, and University of Florida scientists are trying to meet that desire...
Wildlife & Environment
Sports Around The Lake
Volleyball HOME vs Palmetto Ridge 6/7 p.m. …
Top Trending Stories

The following individuals were arrested on felony or driving under the influence (DUI) charges by the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office...

Samuel “Sam”, age 70, of Starke, Florida passed away on June 8, 2023, in Newberry. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 19, 1953, to the late Milus Allison and Margaret Isabel Fowler …
Schools

Teacher salary increases anticipated at Hendry County

Now that Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved funding $500 million to increase teacher salaries, Hendry County School Board ...

School board reminded of rules about public comments

 Hendry County school board members were reminded their public conduct matters during its regular meeting May …

School District halts out-of-county enrollment

Open enrollment at some Hendry County School District schools is temporarily on hold due to buildings being at full capacity ...

Nelson to leave Recreation Board

Hendry County School Board Chairwoman Amanda Nelson announced at the March 7 school board meeting her retirement ...
Government
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

LaBelle and Hendry County to hold joint meeting re Bridge Street bypass

The City Commission of the City of LaBelle and the Hendry County Board of County Commissioners will hold ...

League of Women Voters sues state

TALLAHASSEE – On May 24, the League of Women Voters of Florida,sued Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Secretary of State Cord Byrd ...
online exclusive

Clewiston City Commission meeting March 20

The City of Clewiston will hold its regular Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, March 20, at 5 p.m. at 115 W. Ventura Ave., in the city commission hall chambers.
Health

FDOH closures for the holidays in Hendry and Glades

LABELLE — In observance of the Christmas holiday ...
Medical injection

Florida provides 9,000 doses of COVID-19 Vaccine to AIDS Healthcare Foundation for vulnerable populations

The Florida Division of Emergency Management and Florida Department of Health announced a new partnership with AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Entertainment

True Okee: special Halloween podcast

In this Halloween True Okee special… Stories of strange creatures and ghosts surround the area around Lake Okeechobee.

True Okee bonus episode: Death of a Sheriff

In this bonus episode of True Okee, we examine the death of Okeechobee County Sheriff John Collier
Traffic & Road Work

Hendry County Road Watch Report

The following column is the Road Watch report for Hendry County for the week beginning Sunday, Oct. 1...

Highlands County Road Watch Report

HIGHLANDS COUNTY — The following column is the Road Watch report for Highlands County for the week beginning Sunday, August 27, provided by the Florida Department of Transportation. …

AAA: Florida gas prices decline 6 cents

Florida gas prices are declining once again. After reaching a 4-week high of $3.47 per gallon...
Opinion
Too often, astoundingly small numbers of registered voters effectively control the election...
A new political home for the millions of Americans who no longer see themselves represented...
Over six decades in business, our family-owned clothing store has faced its share of challenges …
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State News
This image made with the Hubble Space Telescope and released by NASA on Aug. 10, 2020 shows the star Alpha Orionis, or Betelgeuse, a red supergiant. The star, one of the biggest and brightest in the night sky, will momentarily vanish as an asteroid passes in front of it late Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, into early Tuesday. The event should be visible to millions of people along a narrow corridor stretching from central Asia’s Tajikistan and Armenia, across Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain, all the way to Miami and the Florida Keys, and, finally, Mexico. (Andrea Dupree (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), Ronald Gilliland (STScI), NASA and ESA via AP)

Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions

One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish. That's because an asteroid will pass in front of it in a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare event will occur late Monday …
Dan Durica gestures during an interview at the Sweetwater Community Farm Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Drought vs deluge: Florida's unusual rainfall totals either too little or too much on each coast

In Florida, this year has been a tale of two states as far as rainfall totals, with the southeast coast deluged by sometimes-record rainfall and much of the Gulf coast facing a major precipitation …

Mother of Florida boy accused of football practice shooting now charged with felony

A Florida woman whose 11-year-old is accused of shooting two teenagers at a football practice in October is now charged with a felony. Sharell Johnson was charged Thursday with negligence by leaving …
Nation & World
FILE - The U.S. Embassy is seen from across the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 3, 2020. A rocket attack at the sprawling U.S. embassy in Baghdad Friday Dec. 8, 2023 caused minor material damage but no casualties, U.S. and Iraqi officials said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)

A rocket attack targets the US Embassy in Baghdad, causing minor damage but no casualties

U.S. and Iraqi officials say a rocket attack at the sprawling U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has caused minor damage but no casualties. Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for dozens of …
Palestinians carry a child killed in the Israeli bombardment on Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Palestinians crowd into ever-shrinking areas in Gaza as Israel's war against Hamas enters 3rd month

Desperate Palestinians fleeing Israel’s expanding ground offensive crowded into an ever-shrinking area of the Gaza Strip as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third month Friday. The United Nations …

Bloodshed, fear, hunger, desperation: Palestinians try to survive war's new chapter in southern Gaza

In recent days, Israeli tanks have rumbled into southern Gaza, starting with Khan Younis. It marks a grim new chapter in the war that the Gaza Health Ministry says has already killed over 17,000 …
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